SEAL Awards Announces 2017 Environmental Research Grant Recipients

July 24, 2017 – The SEAL (representing Sustainability, Environmental Achievement and Leadership) Awards has awarded grants to researchers from 7 world class institutions as part of its Environmental Research Grants initiative.

The 2017 SEAL Research Grants will support research across a broad range of subjects, including forest carbon offsets, carbon capture through salt marshes, corporate greenhouse gases, the politics of environmental policy, and the public health impacts of climate change. The selection process prioritized research with broad promising impact, high potential for informing environmental public policy, and strong clarity of purpose.

“We are honored to support such talented researchers,” said Matt Harney, founder of the SEAL Awards. “Solving our long-term environmental challenges requires academic research funding today. The monetary requirements of supporting research are incredibly modest compared to the societal impact. Any business with a ‘corporate social responsibility’ initiative should follow the SEAL Awards and commit resources to enabling critical environmental research to continue.”

In order to maximize the visibility of the grant program among environmental researchers, the SEAL Awards partnered with Instrumentl, a Y Combinator backed grant funding and application platform, to manage the application process.

“The state of research in the US is in crisis. Not because of a lack of talent, but because of the significant lack of funding,” said Gauri Manglik, CEO of Instrumentl. “The SEAL Awards understands the crucial role R&D plays in our economy and our world and has set a great example of the powerful role enterprise can play in mitigating climate change, promoting public health, and saving our world’s oceans.”

“Based on the quality and number of deserving applications we received through Instrumentl, we increased our funding commitment by 60% from our initial target,” added Matt Harney. “We are excited to continue the SEAL Research Grant initiative in 2018 and beyond.”

RESEARCHER PERSPECTIVE

“Today, environmental challenges such as climate change disproportionately affect the health of communities, especially the poor and the marginalized,” said Renzo Guinto, a doctoral student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who plans to develop an online tool for estimating health benefits of climate solutions for developing countries. “The SEAL Award helps me jumpstart my project and I hope that more people will support this initiative that has a huge potential to empower communities and influence policy across the world.”

Instrumentl is on a mission to simplify the grants process. Built by former researchers and backed by some of Silicon Valley’s top investors, Instrumentl is the #1 tool for researchers and nonprofits seeking funding.